Respect

Is life great or what? For Baltimore Ravens fans - and we're guessing that this newspaper's readership is pretty much birds of a feather in this regard - the last two weeks have been a delight. To beat the Indianapolis Colts in a home playoff game and then the highly-touted Denver Broncos in the mile-high city in a nail-biting double-overtime contest the following week has not only been a thrill ride, but it has united this city - or at least diverted its collective attention from the less easily-resolved challenges of the day - in the way that only popular sporting events can. "Team of destiny" is how a lot of the nation's sportswriters have taken to describing the Ravens after their upset victory over Peyton Manning and the Broncos.

Carol Bartlett, a choreographer who had been the Peabody Preparatory dance department's artistic director for 25 years, died of cancer Dec. 15 at her Rodgers Forge home. She was 67. "She was the backbone and inspirational leader of the Peabody Preparatory's dance department," said Carolee Stewart, the preparatory school's dean. "She was a beloved teacher. She also planned and was chief choreographer for its productions. " Born Carol Trotman in Colchester, Essex, England, she was trained in the tradition of the Royal Academy of Ballet as a child.

A sprained right ankle forced Marshal Yanda to snap a 44-consecutive starts streak dating back to Nov. 29, 2009. Whether the right guard can avoid back-to-back absences is a mystery. Yanda declined to put a percentage on his return for Sunday's regular-season home finale against the New York Giants and said he's unsure of his availability. “We'll see what happens,” he said prior to Wednesday's practice. “We're going to test it out this week and see how it feels.” Yanda, who was replaced in the Ravens' 34-17 loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday, said he felt close to playing, but elected to avoid the risk of aggravating the sore ankle.

Last week, while driving to work, I heard an NPR story that included snippets of an interview with a woman who had just applied for a marriage license. This would not have been newsworthy if not for the fact that she was gay. On Nov. 6, voters in Washington, Maryland and Maine approved marriage equality laws. Last Thursday was the first day that gay and lesbian couples in Washington state could fill out forms and exercise their new right. It was a very long time coming, so I would have forgiven the woman for screaming with joy or drenching the microphone in tears, but that's not what she did. I didn't catch her name or what town she was from, but give or take a syllable, she said something like this: "It feels good to finally be normal," happily and wearily, as if she had finally set down a very heavy weight.

Ravens safety Ed Reed has gotten to know Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey pretty well over the past decade. They didn't exactly plan it that way, to vacation together in Hawaii pretty much every winter since Reed came into the NFL in 2002. But they have lined up next to each other in eight of the past 10 Pro Bowls. Both are among the NFL's active leaders in interceptions. Both will probably wind up in the Hall of Fame. Both are 34, and while their play has understandably tailed off as they age, they still flash the pure talent and play-making ability that has made them two of the most feared defensive backs of this era. “I have a lot of respect for Champ, man,” Reed said in a rare podium appearance Wednesday.

I wasn't going to write about Larry Hagman, who died Friday in Texas at age 81 from complications of cancer. Even though I had reported on him and reviewed much of his work over the years, as well as doing an interview with him during a party at his Malibu home one raucous night, I thought I'd leave it to others to do the appreciations. But all I am seeing is "I Dream of Jeannie" and J.R. Ewing, and while that's obvious and fine, I thought there should be at least one voice mentioning the Hagman I remember.

The Tewaaraton Foundation has named former Johns Hopkins lacrosse player, coach and athletic director Bob Scott as the recipient of the 2013 Spirit of Tewaaraton Award. Scott will be honored May 30 at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington. The Spirit of Tewaaraton is presented to an individual who has contributed to the sport of lacrosse in a way that reflects the values and mission of the Tewaaraton Award. Past recipients include former Maryland men's coach Dick Edell, former Loyola College women's coach Diane Geppi-Aikens, Baltimore native A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard and former Maryland player and longtime Cornell coach Richie Moran.

PITTSBURGH - Byron Leftwich completed less than 50 percent of his throws and earned a 51.3 passer rating in the Pittsburgh Steelers' 13-10 loss to the Ravens on Sunday night at Heinz Field, but the 32-year-old quarterback earned a measure of respect from a few Ravens defensive players. Asked if Leftwich is still dangerous in his 10th year in the NFL, Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata replied, “He definitely is dangerous. You saw him throw down the field. [He is] great at throwing that deep ball.

When the biggest rap tour of the season stops by 1st Mariner Arena on Saturday, opening act Machine Gun Kelly will provide a stark contrast to the flashy, dipped-in-gold Maybach Music Group trio of Wale, Meek Mill and headliner Rick Ross. While the MMG clique presents a cool, almost icy demeanor in its songs, the 22-year-old Cleveland rapper, born Richard Colson Baker, takes the opposite approach, fearlessly spitting double-time flows in the face of the audience. When his rapid-fire delivery fails to spark the crowd, MGK keeps a battering ram of a single in his back pocket.

This, according to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, is how Joe Bryce made his name in state government: Mr. Bryce, who is leaving his job as Gov. Martin O'Malley's chief legislative officer for the lobbying firm Manis Canning and Associates, was hired by Senator Miller right out of Georgetown Law School, where he had been a top student. Mr. Bryce had been friends with Senator Miller's son at the University of Maryland and worked one summer at the Miller family store, and Mr. Miller had been impressed with him. Mr. Bryce had "unbelievable writing skills," Mr. Miller says, and the Senate president was quick to take advantage of them when he got into a dispute with then-Gov.